Big Ice Cave

Useful Information

Pryor Mountain National Wild Horse Range, 19km southeast of the Sage Creek Campground.
From Bridger US 310 south for 4km, turn left on Pryor Mountain Road, after 35km follow Forest Road 2050 east for 2km.
High clearance vehicles or 4x4 recommended.

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History

Description

Big Ice Cave is a single chamber of the ice cellar type, an entrance
which goes steep down into a huge chamber.
This morphology results in a cold trap, as cold air is heavier than warm air.
In winter the cold air "flows" into the cave, in summer it stays there.
This works similar to refrigerators in the supermarket, which keep their
content frozen although they have no lids.
This simple physical effect is the reason why this cave contains ice and icicles
year round.
And obviously it is the reason for its name.

The cave is not a show cave, although you could say it is developed.
A short walk down an improved plank trail into the entrance portal and on a
wooden platform inside the cave where visitors can see the always present ice
floor of the cave.
There are no guided tours, no speleothems and not much to say about the cave.
Take a sweatshirt or jacket, it may be cold inside.

The cave is located in the Pryor Mountains, which are riddled with caves.
The most visited is Big Ice Cave, which may be visited freely.
All others can be explored only with a permit from the Forest Service or the
BLM.